[San Diego (U.S.) = E-Daily Reporter SONG YOUNG-DOO ] "The idea of developing antibody drugs as small molecules caught AstraZeneca's attention. Our goal is to create treatments that more patients can use while maintaining their efficacy."

Jeon Young-ho, CEO of EZQuris, explained the company’s vision in this way during a meeting with E-Daily at the “2026 BIO International Convention (BIO International Convention·BIO USA)” held in San Diego, USA.

On the 22nd of last month (local time), the first day of BIO USA, AstraZeneca announced joint research agreements with two South Korean companies, one of which was EzQuris. This collaboration was facilitated through “Project NOVA Global Connect,” an open innovation program jointly operated by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute and AstraZeneca.

"Tackling the Elusive PPI: Regulation via Small Molecules"

EzQuris’ core platform is a technology for developing small-molecule drugs that inhibit protein-protein interactions (PPI). This approach involves blocking the binding site between two proteins using small-molecule compounds; PPI has long been considered an “impenetrable” target, making drug development particularly challenging.

When asked about the company’s competitive edge, CEO Jeon did not hesitate to cite “protein-protein interaction (PPI) inhibition technology.” He explained, “The company focuses on small-molecule drugs that regulate protein interactions. In particular, we are developing compounds that selectively bind to cytokine protein interaction sites.”

Cytokines are key proteins that regulate inflammation and immune responses. They are considered major targets for treatments of various immune-related diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, asthma, and allergic rhinitis. Currently, this market is dominated by expensive antibody drugs. EzQuris’s strategy is to target this area with oral small-molecule therapeutics. The company’s flagship pipeline focuses on salt-inducible kinase (SIK) inhibitors.

CEO Jeon stated, “While PPI has long been considered a difficult area for drug development, recent advances in structural biology and AI-based drug design technologies have opened the door to precise regulation,” adding, “We have now entered an era where even targets that were previously difficult to access can be tackled with small molecules.”

Hopes for a ‘First-in-Class’ Drug… AstraZeneca Also Shows Interest

CEO Jeon remarked, “While antibody drugs are highly effective, they are currently prescribed only to a limited number of severely ill patients.” He continued, “If we can regulate cytokines using small molecules, a much larger number of patients will be able to benefit from treatment.” For example, in the case of atopic dermatitis treatments, injectable antibody-based drugs currently dominate the market. However, he explained that if these could be developed as oral small-molecule drugs, it would significantly improve not only patient convenience but also access to treatment. In particular, EzQuris’s technology is regarded as “first-in-class.”

The underlying technology enabling this approach is a fragment-based drug discovery platform. He explained, “We built a PPI-based drug discovery platform on a fragment foundation, used it to efficiently identify candidate compounds, and have since secured animal efficacy and safety data. “This collaboration with AstraZeneca was made possible precisely because we had this preclinical data,” he said, adding, “In particular, this collaboration was initiated not so much because we proposed it first, but because AstraZeneca highly valued our technology.”

At this year’s Bio USA, AstraZeneca presented its capabilities in developing treatments for immune-mediated diseases and its AI-based drug discovery technology as core strategies. AstraZeneca’s strategy—which focuses on expanding external innovation in areas such as oncology, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, respiratory diseases, immune-mediated diseases, and rare diseases—aligns perfectly with EzQuris’s small-molecule platform for immune-mediated diseases.

CEO Jeon said, “We expect that combining EzQuris’s differentiated immunology research capabilities with AstraZeneca’s global expertise in new drug development will enable us to create innovative therapies,” adding, “In particular, the SIK inhibitor currently under development by our company is at the core of this collaboration.”

The two companies first met at Bio USA last year to discuss research directions and have since worked together to refine research topics and design a collaboration model. It is reported that they explored the potential for collaboration by jointly designing research topics from the outset, and after a considerable period of discussion, this led to the current joint research agreement.

He said, “The joint research is structured to proceed together through the early Phase 1 clinical trial stage, and there is a strong possibility that it will lead to a technology transfer (license-out) thereafter.” However, he remained tight-lipped regarding specific targets, the contract structure, and the scope of the research.

E-Quris is a biotech venture that began in 2018 as a faculty-led startup originating from a laboratory at Korea University’s College of Pharmacy and has already been recognized for its potential. In fact, last year, it was named among the top 10 promising domestic biotech companies selected by JLABS Korea, a global biotech accelerator under the multinational pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson (J&J). The company is widely regarded as having earned international recognition for its technological capabilities and growth potential, as evidenced by its successive selections for open innovation programs run by global pharmaceutical companies.

CEO Jeon also expressed his determination not to let this collaboration end as a one-off project. “I hope this joint research will serve as a successful model,” he said, adding, “I expect this to provide ample opportunity to develop a long-term partnership with AstraZeneca.”